Counting Stars
by Spirit Speaker
Summary: Part 3 of the Celestial Series: Approximately six months after the end of "Skies On Fire" and six months into Nia and Spock's marriage. The Enterprise is given a mission to observe the planet of Nibiru. Meanwhile, Nia has to report back to Starfleet Command. While she's there, she receives compromising evidence from an unknown source.
1. Chapter 1

**When I said I'd be posting the first chapter early in the week, I wasn't kidding. **

**Thank you all so much for your support in this ongoing story! Hopefully this one will be going a bit quicker, but we shall see. To clear things up, yes this takes place during "Into Darkness", but it is not a true rewrite. Parts that do not show up in this story happened as they did in the movie. This story is taking place mostly behind the scenes, with a few scenes from the movie that have to be rewritten. After all, we know Uhura is too great of a character to be caught kissing a married man :) **

**Many thanks to my beta Amodestpoet, who finds the time to edit my work, even though he has his own work to write. **

**Please, read and enjoy!**

"Yeah, yeah, I still think you are crazy, but I suppose that's the fact of love," Schn T'gai Niniane said, laughing as she spoke to one of her dear friends.

Christine Chapel grinned on the other side of the commlink. "It's not like you can talk. _I've_ married within my species."

"Hey, not judging! I am fully aware of my own madness. I mean, look at who I'm friends with," Nia told her with a wink.

Laughing, Christine nodded. "Yes, I suppose Wena is a little crazy."

Sniggering, Nia hung her head in her hands before giving a grudging nod. "Not what I meant, but I can't exactly disagree. So, tell me, are you enjoying your new life on another planet with Roger?"

"So far so good," the blonde said with a shrug. "Every once in a while, I still find myself surprised by how much he has changed."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. When I ended the engagement before what happened to Vulcan, I really thought that was the end of it."

Nia gave a put upon sigh. "Yeah and then he showed up out of the blue four months ago totally changed, he romanced you, you went on an extended leave that you ended up extending into a transfer from the _Enterprise_ and then you invited everyone to a going away party that was really your wedding reception and announced that were leaving us _forever!_" She ended on an exaggerated wail that sent Christine into a fit of giggles.

"Oh my, I forgot how much I did _not _miss you," Christine told her. "So, tell me why you aren't on the _Enterprise _yourself?"

"Ah," Nia sat up straighter and pressed a button on the side of her screen. A small window appeared and Nia selected the image she wanted to send. "An away team from another ship found this on a new planet, thought it would interest me. It's a plant with some very interesting properties that sound very promising."

"And because more than one scientist is interested in it, Starfleet will only allow you and the other to study it at an Earth based lab."

"Lucky for me, I already have a house in San Francisco," Nia quipped.

Christine nodded. "A very good thing. You really think this might be what you've been looking for?"

She shrugged helplessly. "Maybe. I'm not holding my breath in any case. We haven't yet reached the unknown deadline Spock from the alternate timeline gave us."

"That's just too weird to think about," the nurse told her with a shake of her head.

"You want to know what's really weird?"

Christine caught the mischievous look on her friend's face. "What?" She asked, already dreading the answer.

Nia bit her lip. "Spock Prime, the one from the alternate timeline, told me about how a certain Head Nurse had a massive crush on him…"

"No!" Christine gaped at her, and then frowned. "Well… maybe… but that's… No, sorry, no." She shook her head, hands raised against Nia's cackles. "I am perfectly happy with Roger and you are perfectly happy with Spock and even though my alternate self must have had good taste, just no." She rubbed her face with her hands before asking "When did he tell you this in the first place?"

"Last week. He was here for a couple days with the New Vulcan envoy and came by the house. He didn't realize it was just me on leave to study to plant since, as the Science Officer, Spock could have requested to examine it too. We had dinner, though he absolutely refused Indian."

"Oh?"

"I think it was because of how much I embarrassed myself that time when my dish was too hot. And I'm sure he doesn't want a repeat of snot at dinner."

"Oh gosh," Christine held back the gag the built up in the back of her throat. "Time for a subject change. What is the _Enterprise _doing without you? Do you even know?"

"Um," Nia checked the date and time. "Right now they should on a recon mission at Nibiru. Have you heard of it?"

Christine looked surprised. "I have. They've got some pretty fascinating indigenous peoples, but they are primitive."

"That's what I've heard. I'm a little disappointed that I won't be a part of that away team, but oh well."

"Possible salvation of home world definitely trumps exploring new planet with husband," Christine agreed.

"But only just," Nia clarified.

"Of course," Christine winked. She sighed. "You know they are going to get into all sorts of trouble without you."

Nia nodded. "I already warned Kirk that anything he does to husband, he should expect an equal retribution from me."

"Decent threat after the slime incident eight months in payback for not telling you about Wena's kidnapping," Christine said.

Nia chuckled. "You heard about that?"

"I think the whole solar system heard him screaming as he transported back to the ship."

"They say revenge is a dish best served cold."

"I don't think they meant literally."

"Eh, still was worth it," Nia said with a shrug.

Christine looked of screen for a moment and turned back to Nia with a soft smile. "Roger's back and it's time for dinner. Can I call you back in a couple days?"

Nia grinned. "Of course. Have fun!" She waved as Christine signed off.

The smile dropped a little as the screen went dark. It had been a long couple of weeks being on Earth without Spock. This is the longest time they have been separated since they'd been married and she was a little lonely. She had a couple friends here on Earth, but none of them were Christine, or Uhura, or Wena.

She winced thinking of Wena. The Powers That Be had decided that Wena and her skills were not vital to the crew of the _Enterprise _and sent her back to Palad. While the half-Paladian knew that she was needed, there was no doubt that she wasn't happy about being sent away. Pike certainly heard an earful before the brunette stormed off to pack.

Honestly, Nia didn't entirely understand what that drama had been about, unless Wena had lied to Nia about not being afraid to return to Palad. Which, as Nia thought about it, was a very real possibility. It took her a long time to open up to Wena about what happened on Palad, finding it easier to speak with a counselor about it. Wena didn't understand that the counselor was someone outside of the situation and as such, was someone that Nia didn't need to impress nor did she care what they thought. Not really.

That was eight months ago, three months before she got married and two months before Wena was taken off the _Enterprise_.

Nia sighed, leaned back. She wondered just what in the world her husband, the grumpy doctor, and their mad captain were up to.

If the mounting dread was any indication, it was nothing good.

STSTSTST

_Meanwhile on Nibiru:_

"We have to do this now!" Sulu shouted as he pulled the shuttle into position. "The shuttle wasn't built for this kind of heat!"

Spock understood this and was already dressed and in the process for final preparations.

Uhura was helping him, a deep scowl marring her features.

"Captain, did the indigenous life forms see you?" The Vulcan asked.

"_No, Mr. Spock, they did not!" _Kirk's tone was exasperated and more than a little harried as his reply was accompanied by the sounds of rapid movement through vegetation.

Spock did not believe his captain was being entirely truthful. "The Prime Directive clearly states there can be no interference with the internal development of alien civilizations-"

Kirk interrupted him "_I know what it says, which is why I'm running through the jungle, wearing a disguise."_

Even Uhura could see that that answer did not reassure the First Officer.

"_Now blow up your super ice cube and let's go! I have orders to get you home in time for your wife's birthday. Kirk out!" _The captain's communications ended abruptly, no doubt having to perform yet another evasive maneuver that would just barely fit the parameters of the Prime Directive.

Sulu rushed the shuttle born trio into action, having never stopped moving, by shouting "If we're gonna do it, we do it now! The ash is killing our coils." Much like it did in primitive Earth engines the molten volcanic glass present in the clouds of ash was adhering itself to the shuttle's coils, heating them far beyond safety protocols and inhibiting their base functions.

Uhura's scowl had faded into a more worried and fearful look. "You sure you don't want me to go instead?" She offered, already knowing it was too late for a last minute switch, but finding herself unable to keep from offering anyways.

"That would be highly illogical as I am already outfitted – "

"Spock, I was kidding," Uhura interrupted. She sighed, but didn't try to talk him out of this coming endeavor. "You got this," she told him weakly. She patted him awkwardly on the shoulder and ignored his look of confusion.

Nia was going to kill them all.

"Guys, we have to go! Now!" Sulu insisted from the front.

Uhura turned back to Spock. "We'll see you in ninety seconds." She turned quickly and dove into the copilot's chair. She watched Spock anchor himself to the cable and pulled the lever to drop him into the mouth of the explosively erupting volcano.

The shuttle began to shake harder as he dropped and additional alarms began to blare.

"We can't hold this position," Sulu stated, deceptively calm. "Spock, I'm gonna pull you back up."

"_Negative, this is our only chance to save this species," _he replied as he continued dropping through the billowing clouds of very hot and very dense volcanic particles. "_If this volcano erupts, the planet dies." _

Despite his protests, Uhura was already lifting the level controlling the cable to pull him back up.

The sensors went haywire as the cable snapped, unable to withstand the heat and force of the projectiles impacting it. Uhura and Sulu both shouted in surprise and fear.

The comm. system crackled. _"I am, surprisingly, alive_. _Please standby._"

Sulu snorted in disbelief.

"Can we get him back? There's a second suit, I can-"

Sulu cut her off with a shake of his head. "We took too long, we have to abandon the shuttle. We have no choice." His voice was hard. This wasn't a decision he was making lightly.

With an anguished sigh, Uhura nodded, rubbing one hand over her head. This was the risk they knew they were taking when they sent one of their own down into that mess of molten rock. They weren't giving up, not quite yet, but this was awfully close.

"Spock we have to return to the _Enterprise_." She paused a mere fraction of a second. "We'll get you out," she promised.

Spock didn't respond. He knew there was no chance of rescue without violation of the Prime Directive. He'd known it almost as soon as the plan had been made and had begun to be set into action. As such, he had both made his decision and made his peace with it.

There was no need to feel fear for death as much as there was no need to feel hope for survival. He had a job to do that an entire species counted on being performed correctly.

He climbed over the super heated, but still solid boulder that he had landed on in order to retrieve the cold fusion device and activate it. Despite the dire situation, his intellectual curiosity reared its head in the presence of the very scientific feature that he and his wife had discussed a mere three weeks previous.

_"I'm not ashamed to admit I'm jealous that you get to go to Nibiru without me," Nia told him, grinning. "The red jungle trees from the initial scans look incredibly fascinating. Make sure to bring me some samples, will you?" _

_ He'd inclined his head in acceptance. "Do you wish for cuttings only or fruit as well?" _

_ "Oh both, definitely. Can't get a proper study of the growth cycle with just cuttings. And really, just fruit won't help either, but I might try to cultivate the plant from the seeds which will them give me a full view of the growth cycle. And it'll better inform me of any agricultural or cross breed potentials." Her eyes had begun to drift away as she thought about all the experimental possibilities. _

_ He cleared his throat and her eyes snapped back to his. "I will do my best, however you should be aware that Lieutenant Sulu has similar and equally fervent desires." _

_ She smirked and shrugged. "I can share if he can." She suddenly frowned at him and nudged his ankle with her foot. _

_ Her concern and attachment flashed through him at the brief contact. _

_ "Hey," she said. "You be careful, ok? You haven't mentioned the super-volcano showing signs of increased activity at all, but I know it's a possible concern."_

_ "All active volcanoes are treated with caution," he replied. At her look, he let out the smallest sigh. "I wished to avoid increasing your anxiety." _

_ She rolled her eyes. "Didn't work, but I appreciate the attempt." Biting her lip, she admitted, "I'm more worried about whatever mess our dear Kirk will get you into than the volcano erupting." _

The irony of her statement was inescapable, even for him.

His comm. system came to life.

"_Spock!" _The captain's voice was loud and questioning.

"I have activated the device, Captain." He continued to watch his exploding surroundings, moving little. "When the countdown is complete, the reaction should render the volcano inert." The heat was becoming suffocating, even in his environmental suit.

He overheard the ensuing discussion of his rescue. He decided to interject "Captain, our shuttle was concealed by the ash cloud, but the _Enterprise _is too large. If utilized in a rescue effort, it would be revealed to the indigenous species."

"_Shut up, Spock. We're trying to save you, dammit!" _McCoy spoke this time.

"Doctor, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," he replied.

The doctor's grumble was quiet, but Spock still heard it. "_I'm sure your wife will appreciate being lumped with 'the few'." _

_ "Spock, nobody knows the rules better than you, but there has got to be an exception," _Kirk tried to reason with him.

"None. Such action violates the Prime Directive."

"_Spock we're talking about your life!" _

"The rule cannot be broken under any circumstances." Spock waited a moment to hear Kirk's further arguing, but was only met with static. It appeared his comms had finally succumbed to the heat of the volcano. Unfortunate, but not unexpected.

With the end in communication, an odd feeling hit him. It was one he had not felt in recent time, but was still familiar to him. Loneliness. He would be dying alone. With the loneliness came fear and despair, and for a moment all three emotions threatened to smother his control.

Closing his eyes, he mentally wrestled them back until the dull acceptance and false tranquility returned.

The fear for death was as pointless as the hope for survival. He had no need for pointless emotions.

Instead, he kept his eyes closed and spread his arms lightly as the lithic block beneath him began rock and shudder dangerously.

_The fear of death is pointless_.

When he opened his eyes to find himself present in the transporter room, his mind knew the decision his captain had made.

Even as horror and appall won out in the internal battle, utter relief was still present. He believed his captain to have made the wrong choice, but that did not stop the restrained and primal aspect of his nature from being glad to be alive.

A distinctly irritated feminine voice came across the comm. system as the captain and CMO stared at Spock, confused at his lack of gratefulness.

"_Is Commander Spock on board, sir?" _

"Safely and soundly."

All concern covering the irritation disappeared in her next statement. "_Please notify him that his device has successfully detonated._"

Kirk either didn't notice or did care about the emotional state of his communications officer as he congratulated his science officer.

Spock refused to acknowledge the congratulations. "You violated the Prime Directive!" Did he not understand the impact of what he had done?

"Oh come on, Spock, they saw us. Big deal."

No, clearly, he did not.

* * *

A/N: Somebody's in trouble... multiple somebody's. Next chapter, Spock is home. How do think Nia is going to feel? And how do you think Uhura is going to react, now that she is not romantically involved with Spock, but a good friend is? Would love your thoughts and insight!

Many thanks to those who read, followed, favorited, and reviewed the previous story, "Skies On Fire". I hope you all enjoy this one just as much!

-Spirit


	2. Chapter 2

**Fair warning to my readers... this chapter gets bit nerdy. But don't worry, the nerdy part isn't integral to the plot. You don't have to know the names of the different types of biologic pigments in order to follow the story. I promise **

**Many thanks to my beta, Amodestpoet. He's awesome :) **

**Please, read and enjoy!**

The jingling alert made her jump, even though she'd been expecting it for a day and a half. She spun from the stove where she was cooking and bounded for the front door. She made it as it was closing and her husband was removing his regulation gray cap.

And bit back the grin as she caught sight of his slightly mussed hair from the cap.

When he noticed her look, he swiftly and meticulously fixed with a practiced precision.

She refrained from making a comment about vanity.

Not when she was suddenly feeling self conscious about the flour covering her blue shirt.

She carefully brushed at it, asking "Just you?" She wouldn't have been surprised if the captain would be visiting soon.

He knew what she was asking. "The captain and Dr. McCoy decided to celebrate our return to Earth in a different fashion tonight."

"Good," Nia replied and extended the first two fingers of her right hand.

When his fingers curled around hers, she turned and led him into the kitchen. "I made the crunchy pea and crispy spinach salad you like. Well, at least I'm assuming you like because that was a close of a compliment as I've ever heard you give to my mother, so I managed to bribe the recipe from her…"

He followed her into the kitchen, quiet and stoic, silently reveling in the life and true peace she exuded. The scents from the kitchen indicated the evening's meal would be quite palatable.

It was satisfactory to be in his residence.

STSTSTST

Uncharacteristically, Nia was able to convince Spock to sleep in the next day. She'd even been worried for his health at first, but he assured her that Dr. McCoy had refused to release him until his irrational need to extensively examine the half-Vulcan had been satisfied.

Nia wasn't exactly satisfied with that answer, not until he informed her that the only things awaiting _them_ at headquarters were _her_ samples from Nibiru.

She held back the squeal she knew would irritate her husband endlessly – while also being indicative of a significant lack of maturity – but indulged herself in a happy bounce that would irritate him less. Not that he would ever express that irritation in any way, shape, or form.

She checked the time before burying herself under the covers again. "So, get up at 09:00, breakfast, and then head to the labs?" Nia glanced at him. "Is that acceptable?  
He nodded, but otherwise kept still. He was lying in the same position he usually slept in, on his back and hands laced over his chest. As Nia lay back down and settled against him, he didn't move. Yet, in the chill of the room, her Paladian warmth was a physical comfort.

As Nia forced herself to relax, she pointedly did not remind her husband that she could feel his emotions, whether or not he wanted to acknowledge them, and she knew something had caused his uncharacteristic behavior that morning.

STSTSTST

The moment the couple walked into the labs, Nia felt the change. One of the long lasting ramifications from her interrogation by Narsow's men was her sensitivity to emotions of others, even without physical contact. It wasn't as invasive as it used to be, both time and Spock's aide helping to reduce the potency of her empathy, but it was still strong enough to pick up the change.

The room had gone from gentle curiosity, to a disgruntled, annoyed, and even offended attitude that nearly swamped the scientific curiosity Nia was so used to in the labs.

She even sensed a subtle shift in her husband, a near defensiveness rearing up.

"Nia!" Uhura called brightly, standing from her seat next to Sulu to wrap her arms around the startled Paladian.

"Hey, Nyota. It's good to see you again," Nia told her honestly. "How are you?"

The dark skinned woman smiled at her. "Oh, I'm doing quite well. Missing you and Christine terribly, but that's no surprise."

Nia chuckled. "I just spoke with her the other day, but it really isn't the same. I'll be back on the _Enterprise _soon enough, though."

Uhura's gaze flickered over at Spock for the briefest of seconds as she responded "Good."

Now Nia knew that the negative emotions had something to do with her dear husband. She looked at Sulu, seeing him also glance at Spock before grinning at her.

"Looking good, Sargent."

"Don't make me hurt you, Sulu."

The man scoffed at her. "Like you could."

"Please," Nia snorted as she settled down in Uhura's abandoned seat. "You've got no stamina."

He rolled his eyes. "Just because you're Paladian doesn't mean you have to lord it over the rest of us."

"I'm not," Nia said. "Just you."

He rolled his eyes again and sighed. "I suppose we get to fight over the botanical samples?"

Nia chuckled. "Nah, I told Spock that as long as you can share, I can share."

Uhura was still standing and eyeing Spock carefully. It was beginning to bother Nia, but she didn't say anything, only watched carefully. Evidently, she decided against saying what was on her mind and decided to leave instead.

Spock took no notice of Uhura and settled himself across from his wife and the lieutenant.

"Alright, so tell me about these samples? Oh, you got me soil too! I had forgotten to ask for that," Nia began her perusal of the various samples spread out on the lab table.

Sulu smirked at Spock.

The Vulcan quirked a brow.

Sulu sighed and gave up.

"I think I want to study the soil samples first, but the mass spec is next door. I'll wait to run those…" She set the samples to the side.

Spock stood, picked them up. "I will prepare and run the soil samples. Did you desire a full spectrum analysis or a partial?"

"Full. If I find anything in the plants I might switch to something more specific," she said. "Thank you, Commander."

He inclined his head and began to work.

Turning back to Sulu, Nia asked "Have you run any analysis of your own or made any observations?"

Sulu shook his head. "I hadn't had the chance yet." He smiled at her. "You should have been there, the whole forest was this vibrant red."

"Really?" Nia asked, intrigued. "Anthocyanins instead of chlorophyll?"

Sulu shrugged. "Maybe, but I'm thinking not."

"You think it might be something like lycopene?"

"The animals were living off the plant. I figured you'd be interested in knowing the specifics of what adaptations made that possible and what the plant is composed of. _I_," Sulu placed a hand over his heart, "am interested in cultivating some of these seeds."

"So you need the soil analysis too. Did you do a pH test yet?" Nia asked, interested Anthocyanins were a pigment found in plants that could be red to blue, depending on the pH of the soil. Hydrangeas were an Earth plant known for their different colored petals.

"pH of 9."

Nia suddenly understood Sulu's reasoning. "Which would have turned an anthocyanin blue. So then it's likely lycopene, or maybe even a betalain."

"Tomatoes or beets," Sulu said, nodding. "Though it still could be an anthocyanin. This _is _an alien planet."

"Hence the soil analysis."

Sulu pulled a moderately sized flower sample between the pair. "Do you want to test the pigment now, or dissect a flower first and see if the structure gives us any clues?"

Nia bit her lip as she considered the astroscientist's suggestion. "Flower first," she decided, but didn't make a move to help Sulu prepare it. Instead, she watched her husband out of the corner of her eye as he finished preparing the set of soil samples and left to go to the adjoining lab.

As soon as the door shut behind him, she rounded on Sulu. "Alright, what happened on Nibiru?"

Sulu glanced at the closed door. "He didn't tell you?"

"No." She pouted, remembering their conversation that morning. "He distracted me with science," she admitted.

Smiling weakly, Sulu shrugged. "I'm not sure I should say anything. If it were a big deal, I'm sure he would tell you – "

Her snort cut him off. "I'm recently married, not naive."

He sighed. "His mission report will probably have more detail. Unless, Kirk convinced him otherwise."

Nia rolled her eyes. "Just tell me."

Sulu opened his mouth, but his eyes lifted to the now opening doors. He dropped his gaze to the specimen in his hands. "Alright, so I can see that there are both male and female parts to the flower, which means that – "  
The half-Vulcan gently cleared his throat, causing Nia and Sulu to lift their gazes up to him. "Admiral Pike has requested to meet with myself and the captain immediately. The first of the soil samples prepared is running and will be completed in three minutes."

"We'll be sure to take care of it, Commander," Sulu assured him.

He nodded and left.

Nia and Sulu turned to each other with matching apprehensive looks.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about that meeting?" Nia asked.

"Probably because I have one and you're picking up on it," Sulu admitted.

"Lovely," Nia replied. "Care to elaborate the reason?" When she got no reply, she asked again "What happened on Nibiru? Did Commander Spock do something to upset the crew?"

"Why do you call him Commander, still? You are married – "  
"It's respectful and don't change the subject. You and Uhura were projecting your feelings loud and clear. What happened?"

"The short of it?" Sulu asked, resigned.

Nia shrugged. "Works for me."

"Spock got stuck in super volcano on Nibiru after he and Kirk devised a plan to set off a cold fusion device to stop its ongoing eruption." Sulu spoke quickly and didn't look Nia in the face. If he had, he'd have seen her steadily climbing eyebrows. "The shuttles couldn't handle the ash clouds, so the only way to rescue him was with the _Enterprise_, which violated the Prime Directive since the ship was visible to the natives."

Nia gaped for a moment. "Let me guess, Kirk was expecting 'Happy, happy, joy, joy' when Spock was beamed on board, only instead my dear _logical_ husband harped on about the Prime Directive being violated."

Sulu eyed her. "Exactly."

"And Lieutenant Uhura?"

"Thinks he's being an ungrateful, unfeeling jerk and is glad she's not you."

"Lovely." Nia sighed, rested her head on her hands. "That means that meeting is going to get very interesting. Starfleet takes the Prime Directive extremely seriously."

Sulu gave up on studying the plant specimen. "I know. The entire crew has been waiting on baited breath since we began the return journey. We all know Captain Kirk is favored by Admiral Pike and some of the other admirals, but this time…"

"This time he may have gone too far," Nia finished for him. "I guess all we can do is wait and see the outcome of this meeting."

"I'm sure the commander won't be blamed," Sulu said, trying to comfort her.

Nia nodded. "I'm sure he won't. The command love the fact that he doesn't find defying orders to be logical. Might be why they were so happy to pair him with Kirk." Her shoulders slumped as she ran her hand over her face.

Taking in her stressed look, Sulu wondered if he even should have told her about what happened. She wasn't reacting the way he expected and he found that worrisome. "Are you alright?" he tentatively asked. "Are you angry with them?"

"I'm fine," Nia said softly. "And no, I'm not angry. Believe it or not, I completely understand both sides of it. The captain has a hero complex, and while that isn't a terrible thing to have, it does make him a bit reckless at times. My husband, the commander, is incredibly logical. He would have viewed the sacrifice of his life worth the well-being of another entire species."

With a small snort, Sulu shook his head. "That's almost exactly what he said. He even had this little phrase to tie it up nicely. He said –"

"'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one'." Nia gave Sulu a knowing look. "I've heard it before. I find it a very short-sighted statement though, in the situations I've known him to use it." She thought of some of the stories the older Spock had told her, stories that made her laugh and stories that filled her with dread, knowing that the lessons the older Spock had learned were yet to come for _her_ Spock. "The sacrifice would be worth it, only if he was never going to do something greater than save the species of Nibiru. But what if something happens elsewhere? Maybe the Earth gets endangered in the future and it's up to him to save the planet."

Sulu followed the direction of her thoughts. "So, he dies in the process of saving one species, but then can't prevent the death of a larger species. But, if he lets the smaller species die, he might be able to save the larger."

"And that's just one aspect of it. I mean, I get why the commander was against you all saving him. I really do. But I am in no way upset that you went against his wishes." She huffed a short breath. "And neither is he. He'll deny feeling anything about it, but he's glad to be alive. You can trust me on that."

Sulu stared at her. "You know, I never understood the connection between you two. He's so closed off. I figured it probably had something to do with reconnecting Palad and New Vulcan, to be honest."

"Ah, you mean more of the 'needs of the many' bit?" Nia quipped. "Nah, that only had a little to do with it. Sure, connecting the two races with a marriage sure loosened the Paladians up a bit around the Vulcans, but honestly… I fell for him, complete with mushy feelings of love and affection."

"And now it's time for a subject change, before this conversation goes any further."

Nia laughed at the pained look on the man's face. "Alright, alright. I have to go change out the soil samples anyways."

STSTST

Lunchtime came and Nia found Spock waiting for her outside of the science facilities. He was facing away from her, hands tightly laced behind his back, his grey uniform the epitome of the dress code.

From a distance, she couldn't tell how the meeting went. His stoic stance didn't change, not even in miniscule ways as she approached him even though he was clearly deep in thought. As she stepped closer, the most prominent feeling that she could pick up was a general… _disgruntled_ feeling. Either the meeting wasn't so bad, or he was holding himself tightly in control. She could touch his wrist to find out, but knew from past experience he would not appreciate the invasion on his privacy.

"Are you hungry?" She asked instead.

He inclined his head and she told him "I found this great little café the other day that has pretty decent vegetarian meals. Would you find it acceptable to go there?"

"I would," he said, nodding.

They walked to their vehicle in silence.

As they climbed in and Niniane programmed the address of the café, Spock turned to her.

"Did yourself and the Lieutenant discover the properties of the pigment contained in the specimen from Nibiru?"

Nia looked up in mild surprise. For whatever reason, she hadn't expected him to ask. "Yes, actually. We did. Or, at least, we have a good idea as to what it might be."

"Lycopene or belatine?"

"Neither."

He raised an eyebrow.

"It's a new pigment. Similar to anthocyanin in that it is affected by pH, but we haven't yet determined it's chemical structure." She grinned at the surprise on his face.

"Truly?" he asked, interested.

She nodded. "Truly. Sulu is running more tests to be certain, but at this point we aren't expecting to be proven false."

"Fascinating," he said. "Do you have a hypothesis as to the chemical composition of the pigment?"

Shaking her head, she told him "Well, I'd say it's a ferrous compound at first guess, which is what the next round of testing is aimed for."

Out the window, a familiar sign indicated they were nearing their destination.

"So are you going to tell me how the meeting went?"

A beat of silence.

Then, "I am not certain."

It was Nia's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Not certain you're going to tell me or not certain how it went?"

Another moment of silence.

"Both," he finally responded.

She nodded, not really surprised. "Then I think you should tell me about the meeting while we eat."

"Do you believe me incapable of coming to my own understanding of events?"

Nia froze. _What?_

Slowly, she turned to him, expression incredulous. "Excuse me?" she asked carefully, tone guarded against any reaction. "What are you asking me?" If he were human, she'd know exactly what he was asking. If he were human.

"I have lived amongst humans for an estimate of five years –"

"And you're forgetting that I have lived here twice as long and I even married a human man." Her voice was quiet, but firm. "You just stated you were uncertain how the meeting went."

"And you implied that I needed your insight in order to determine as such," he replied, voice void of any inflection.

Nia's shoulders slumped as inexplicable tear sprung to her eyes. That was _not_ what she meant. She blinked back the tears and opened her door so that she didn't have to face him. "I apologize. It was not my intent to imply such a thing. I was merely offering my opinion so I may help if you wished it." She took a breath and continued. "If you don't wish to benefit from my experiences in dealing with humans and other _illogical_ beings, that is you choice. Of course, I will abide by it." She got out of the hovercraft, shutting the door behind her. If she shut it a little harder than necessary, neither noticed.

* * *

A/N: So... their talk is going well, I think. How about you?

Many thanks to all my readers, especially those who have reviewed. Thank you, thank you **Amodestpoet **and **Teddy bear 007**

-Spirit


	3. Chapter 3

**I have no excuse beyond writers block. So, so sorry for the extended wait for an update. All my plot bunnies were for different stories. **

**That being said, this chapter is dedicated to _angel897 _and _Amodestpoet_, who both pushed me to work on this story. **

**Please, read and enjoy!**

Spock didn't speak to her as he strode beside her.

The doors of the café opened automatically and the young woman at the counter smiled brightly at them.

"Nia! Welcome back!" The young brunette eyed the man standing beside her Paladian customer. "You must be Commander Spock."

He nodded once. "Correct."

She giggled. "Well then, let me get you our vegetarian and vegan menu." She disappeared through a doorway for a brief moment.

While she was gone, Spock turned to Nia. "You come here often," he stated.

Nia shook her head. "Once, actually. Megan just has a good memory."

Spock didn't quite understand. "You came here and spoke of me only once?"

"Yeah, sorta." She shrugged. "I asked a lot of questions about their menu. Since the place near the campus that you like is closed, I decided to find a new place for you. I'm sorry, not 'like', but find 'most palatable'."

"For me?" he repeated questioningly.

She nodded. "For you."

He blinked and canted his head as he stared at her. "I do not understand."

The smile she gave him struck him as odd. Something about it was different. Her eyes didn't quite crinkle the same way.

"That's fine, Spock," she said. "You don't have to." As Nia spoke the words, she realized how true that statement was. He really didn't have to understand. It wasn't fair of her to expect him to and she _knew_ that. It would be contrary to his nature. By the same token, that didn't mean she needed to be contrary to hers. Finding this place for him had not been done so that he would appreciate the gesture. It had been done because she wanted to do it.

Megan returned and held out the menu for Spock to take.

He did and as he read over the options, Nia placed her own order. He placed his when Megan looked to him expectantly and then let his wife lead him to an empty table.

Nia didn't know how to break their silence, or if she even should. She hadn't meant to imply she that she thought her husband incapable, no she felt far from it. She'd only wanted to help, purely because he hadn't the same experience with humans that she did. And _that_ wasn't really why she'd wanted him to speak with her in the first place. Yes she was curious too, but really she just thought that two heads were better than one, and that maybe in trying to explain the situation to someone who didn't experience it, he would be better able to understand what had happened.

However, if his attitude was anything to go by, the meeting did _not_ go well.

"The analysis of the soil samples is still running, so I don't have any information to give you about those. Sulu and I are still studying the flower, but it's very similar to some flora found on Earth. That's how we recognized that it has both male and female parts, allowing for self pollination." She sighed and forced another smile as she looked up at her husband. The expression felt more genuine than earlier. "I think once we cultivate enough of the plant, we should do some Mendelan experiments. Find out if yellow flowers or white flowers are dominant."

As they ate, she continued to tell him her ideas and some of Sulu's. It was a comfortable way to fill up the silence with minimal reminders as to why the silence was tense in the first place.

Unsurprisingly, he finished his meal first and folded his hands in front of him.

Nia was used to him watching her eat, though she had to shove back the still lingering urge to hold her hand in front of her mouth. Eating just seemed so unattractive.

In the quiet during her next bite, he spoke.

"Captain Kirk is very angry with me."

Nia's eyes snapped up to his. She didn't speak.

He continued without prompting. "I had suspected he would not include all the pertinent details of the details of the mission to Nibiru in his log. I submitted a secondary report."

Nia fought the urge to close her eyes in dismay.

"Admiral Pike was… disappointed." His fingers tightened imperceptivity. "I have been transferred from the _Enterprise_.

Her eyes fluttered shut against her will.

"I do not understand." His admission was said softly.

Nodding slowly, Nia gently set her silverware. "Do you need to return to headquarters?" she asked.

"I do not."

"Then let's go home. We'll be able to talk more there." She gathered their waste and placed it in the appropriate bins.

They left the café, Nia gently gripping the hem of Spock's sleeve.

As they headed home, Spock stated "You understand."

"I think so. It has to do with both the human concept of authority, and the human concept of loyalty."

"Did I do wrong?" Spock asked, voice startlingly soft.

Nia sighed, knowing the answer wasn't going to be that simple. "This is more an issue of two cultures clashing. I'm guessing that on Vulcan, if your immediate superior officer is wrong or has a differing opinion, it isn't insulting to tell the next higher up?"

"That is correct. One must be expected to defend one's position, but it is not discouraged." Spock replied.

"Right. That's because there's no emotion and no sense of dominance involved. The position of your superior was given his position based on a different logic than what is necessarily used on Earth." Nia was sure she was completely fumbling the explanation, but wasn't sure how else to put it. "He behaved as if you betrayed him, correct?"

"Yes," Spock replied. He was listening carefully.

"Right," she said. "That's because it is considered very disrespectful and disloyal for an officer to go behind his commanding officer's back to report his mistakes or misbehavior to _his_ commanding officer. It doesn't mean you shouldn't do it if there really is a problem, but it does cause a sense of betrayal. It also portrays a lack of respect for the chain of command, especially if Kirk commanded you to do something and you went to Pike to get out of it." She held up her hand when Spock opened his mouth to speak. "Now, _that_ isn't what you did. You did the former."

"In the future, would it be better to inform the captain first? It appeared he thought as much."

Nia just nodded. "Yes it would be." And if it ever sounded like he was giving an ultimatum, they would have to deal with that then. She didn't want to confuse him too much.

He jerked his head in a short nod, accepting her answer.

"Now, Pike. How did he react?" Nia asked.

"He did not approve of Kirk's violation of the Prime Directive to retrieve me from the volcano."

"Let me guess, he wasn't so much upset at the fact that Kirk saved your life, but more at the fact that he risked your life in the first place and ended up violating the Prime Directive," Nia shrewdly estimated.

"Correct," Spock stated. It seemed he truly had forgotten that she had more experience with humans. Her life had groomed her for being able to interact between cultures, particularly between Palad and Earth, considering the interests of her mother.

"It makes sense, and it means he cared." She reached out a hand to rub his shoulder, comforting herself more than him most likely. "Same thing with Kirk. That pesky emotion of 'love' is what drove him to rescue you and part of what made him feel so betrayed. He probably wouldn't have felt so strongly if he hadn't considered you a friend."

Nia could clearly see he was getting frustrated. It was a good thing they were approaching home. She could see that this was going to take a fair bit more discussion and she wanted to be more comfortable. And she wanted a cup of tea.

"Come on. Let's go inside and get comfortable. I know this has to be frustrating and confusing and just plain annoying."

"Indeed," he said, the small huff of breath very clearly a Vulcan version of a sigh.

"Be glad none of you are female," Nia told him with a snort. "That's a whole new level of headaches."

He didn't respond to that statement, but Nia was certain he agreed.

STSTSTST

The evening found the married pair settled against each other on Nia's couch, soft music playing in the background at her insistence. Two pairs of hands cradled cups containing warm Vulcan tea in one and cool Paladian spiced milk in the other.

Nia and Spock had gone over the meeting extensively. Unfortunately, there were questions of his that she couldn't answer. Human behavior would always have an element of unpredictability.

"The same thing happens on Palad," she said. "You think you know someone, you've known them for years, maybe they are family or close friends, and yet they still manage to do or say something that completely surprises you."

Spock remembered his father's confession onboard the _Enterprise _and realized that the same could probably be said for all sentient beings. It even occurred amongst Vulcans. Rarely, yes, but it did occur. His father surprised him, after all.

She rested her head against his shoulder. "Anything in particular that I should cook for dinner? I've got jackfruit I was going to make carnitas with. Would that be acceptable?"

"It would be acceptable. I presume the avocado is to be served with it?"

"Yep. Guac or sliced?" Nia asked, setting her mug down so that she could pull herself to her feet.

"Sliced," he replied. His head tilted as he watched her leave the room. The first few times she had cooked for him had resulted in tensions between them. He'd learned quickly that when he was offered options, he needed to express a preference whether or not he had one. Not presenting a preference caused unnecessary frustration and uncertainty in an already unnecessarily complex task.

On her part, Nia learned not to ask for his opinion on trivial subjects too often.

She set about preparing the meal, the sky outside surprisingly dark as evening set in. She hadn't realized how much time had passed, though her stomach certainly had.

As she set about cooking the onions and then caramelizing the chucks of jackfruit, she allowed herself to start humming. Pulling out a knife, she set to slicing the avocados she'd purchased.

A jingle from the other room caught her attention and she looked up in time to see Spock enter the room, communicator in hand.

"Everything alright?" she asked. Something had to have occurred in order for him to be called back to headquarters already.

"I must leave. I will inform you if I am to return tonight or not," he said.

Nia was concerned. "Alright," she said stepping towards him. An odd intuition tugged at her heart, but she viciously pushed it aside. "Be safe," she told him, internally chastising herself for saying such a thing.

Spock merely canted his head and dipped his chin a single nod in acceptance of her useless entreaty.

He spun on his heel. In little time, his uniform was once again presentable and he left the humble home of his Paladian wife.

Biting her lip, Nia set down the knife she'd picked up again as the door closed.

What could possibly have been important enough to call him back at this time of night?

She fervently hoped that Kirk had nothing to do with it. His involvement seemed to foreshadow some of the most insane and dangerous situations arising.

_Please bring him home tonight._

STSTSTST

'Emergency Session, Daystrom.'

That was what the message on his communicator had said.

He moved quickly down the pathways on the campus of headquarters and navigated through equally swiftly moving officers and cadets.

A woman's voice announced new security protocols in effect.

Up ahead, he spotted a familiar figure.

Reflex took over.

"Captain," he called. It was a testament to his turmoil over the day that Kirk's correction didn't sink in the first time. He was fully aware that Kirk had been demoted and that he himself had been reassigned.

It was only to be expected.

"Captain, it was never my intention – " Spock is halfway through his Vulcan styled apology when Kirk cuts him off and corrects him a second time.

As Kirk turns from him and leaves the turbolift, Spock tried again. "Commander, I see now I should have alerted you to the fact that I submitted the report. I have spoken extensively w-"

Once again, Kirk interrupted him. "No, I'm familiar with your compulsion to follow the rules." Kirk knows he should have expected this to happen, he should have prepared. "But you see, I can't do that." Stopping, he turned and faced his friend and former First Officer. "Where I come from, if someone saves you life, you don't stab them in the back."

It was if Nia's words to him earlier had been rearranged and thrown back at him with fresh emotions of betrayal and anger.

In vain, Spock tried to defend himself. "Vulcans cannot lie."

As always, Kirk didn't understand anymore than Spock had understood him earlier.

Internal conflict tugged at Spock.

Kirk did not understand that Vulcan was not merely half of his biology. It was how he was raised, it was his culture, and it was a memory of home he refused to let fade. Half-human he may be, but Vulcan was how he primarily defined himself. He was a product of superior Vulcan genes blending with more recessive human traits.

Even his own mother had understood that.

Why couldn't his captain?

Correction.

Why couldn't Commander Kirk?

Spock supposed it was fair. He rarely understood humans and their motivations.

"The truth is, I'm going to miss you."

Spock floundered. How was he supposed to respond? What was expected? He opened his mouth, but no words came forth.

Kirk scoffed and strode away.

The Vulcan Commander was dissatisfied with the way the conversation ended, but he had little choice in the matter. His duty called for him to join his new captain and the rest of the officers around the conference table.

Perhaps Nia would better understand how to make _Kirk_ understand.

STSTSTST

The scenes flickered violently across the screen and the voices crashed against her ears just as loud.

The Daystrom Conference Room had been attacked.

A meeting involving Starfleet's Captains and their First Officers was violently disrupted.

Casualties had been confirmed, but no names had yet been released.

Nia bit her fist.

Hard.

A strangled sound escaped her that had nothing to do with the pain spreading across her knuckles.

She'd been pacing earlier, communicator clutched tightly in her hands, eyes never leaving the news feed her view screen's channel was turned to. She wouldn't have even known to check, had it not been for one of her coworkers calling her, wanting to know if Spock was one of the ones involved.

Of course Spock had been involved. It had to have been the emergency meeting he was called to.

Contacting Starfleet had proved pointless, as they weren't even releasing information to frantic spouses. Instead, the harried officer had urged her to stay at home and keep an eye on the news. As if that was any sort of sage advice.

Frustrated, she'd begun pacing.

Eventually, her grip on her communicator turned sweaty and she was forced to set it down or risk dropping it and breaking it and never receiving the new on whether or not her husband –

Finally, she just sat on the floor in front of the view screen, trembling as she tried to keep herself calm.

Why was it so different this time?

Spock had been in danger before and so had she, and panic hadn't been so easy to catch her in its claws as it had been this time.

What had changed?

Was it because they were married now, and Nia felt a deeper connection? Maybe so.

Was it because she was tortured and her emotions were still a tad raw from that event? Maybe that, too.

Or was it because this time she wasn't in the thick of things, but left to fret and pace and dream up all the worst scenarios possible, just as she did when Wena had been out of her reach?

If she were to be truly honest with herself, it was probably all three.

The short flashes that the media was able to gleam of the ravaged building nearly made her heart stop every time. The windows were shattered, the walls ripped into, and limp bodies were being carried out of sight.

Where was Spock? Was he one of the ones aiding the injured and moving the dead? And dead some clearly were.

Or was he –

_No._

Nia wouldn't let her mind go there. Images of his injured and broken body she could handle. Dead, she could not.

Two hours passed before her communicator chimed again.

She dove for it, nearly knocking it across the room in her mad scramble to grab the device. "Spock?"

Relief flooded through her and nearly knocked her from her feet as he voice replied. She gave in to her body's desires and flopped on to the couch cushions.

"There have been multiple casualties, but Kirk and I are not to be counted among them."

"Good, good," Nia said, barely breathing.

The was a moment of hesitation, and Nia's breath hitched. She knew, just knew, that someone she personally knew was dead.

"New reinstated Captain Pike of the _Enterprise_ did not survive the attack."

A sob escaped her. "I'm so sorry, Spock," she managed to say, tearing running down her face. "I'm so sorry."

She didn't say she grieved with was selfish, but she was glad it was him instead of Spock. Later, she would mourn her husband's mentor appropriately. She'd met the man on several occasions and knew him to be a good man. She'd liked him.

Later, she'd grieve with her husband.

In that moment, though?

Her relief was too great.

* * *

A/N: You know, in retrospect, I should have expected it to be this difficult to write a married couple, not being married myself. I hope their relationship is coming across well.

Many thanks to those who have reviewed, **Teddy bear 007, Amodestpoet, 555LordBacon666,** and ** angel897**. You all are great, and I love hearing from you. Even if you should be sleeping instead of reading :D

- Spirit


	4. Chapter 4

**I am both amazed at how quickly this is being written and at how much I dislike having so little of the plot my own. That being said, thank you to all who are still reading this, and I'm sorry for the scenes that are essentially copied from the movie. I promise you, there is at least a slight difference from the movie with each scene you recognize. To restate what I said previously, if a scene from the movie isn't written, then it happened exactly the same way it did in the movie. **

**Many thanks to my beta, Amodestpoet. He has helped me keep my sanity even as I take on too many projects at once. And recently informed me of a problem with my plot on a totally different story, which I love him and hate him for. **

**Ramble over! Sorry. **

**Please, read and enjoy!**

When Spock returned in the dark and early morning hours, he found Nia curled on top of the covers of their bed.

Tear tracks were evident on her cheeks, but she wasn't currently crying.

Nor was she asleep.

She stretched out a hand. "Come here," she said. Her tone was soft, voice low and gentle as if he were a skittish animal.

He might have resented the treatment another day. Instead, he moved to the bed and lied next to her. Tentatively, his fingers wrapped around hers. Uncertainty plagued him for the briefest of moments. Should he share the emotions of the past evening with her? Would she think any differently of him or of Pike?

Logic pushed that emotion away. Her ability would not just comfort him, but would also help him regain control of himself.

Almost as if she knew when he had committed to the decision, Spock felt the main body of her emotions beginning to connect with his. He pushed back with his mind, connecting them mentally and emotionally.

Her breath left her in a gasp as she felt and saw the death of his mentor. Her heart broke as the turmoil raging through Spock hit her hard in the chest. The fear and pain from the mortal wound delivered to Pike's chest. The knowledge and yearning against the coming end and his desperation for Spock to do something, anything, -

Tears welled up and spilled over her cheeks, creating news tracks from on her skin. She pulled him close, comforting herself with his rapid heartbeat and cool skin and comforting him in turn with her own emotions.

Neither slept, but both rested.

Too soon, Spock was called away again. He was going to aide in the search through the wreckage of the attacker's ship.

Nia let him go, knowing she would just be in the way if she went with him. Instead, she returned to the labs on her own time, hoping there would be something for her to do, that there would be some sort of distraction available for her.

There was none.

She should have known better. Even though there were no tears, the somber atmosphere was tangible for the Paladian. It likely would have been even if her sensitivity to such things hadn't been heightened by Narsow's men on Palad.

She did find her use, though.

When she entered the lab she had been using the previous day, she found Sulu sitting at the table, staring at the samples. His arms were crossed, and his muscles were tense. Dark eyebrows were furrowed of his vacantly staring eyes.

"Hikaru?" Nia whispered, using his given name for the first time.

His head snapped up. "Nia," he replied, a brief smirk crossing his face.

Slowly, Nia sat down next to him. "There's not much I can do," she told him, "but I can do this?" She offered a hand to him.

Carefully and as if he were at war with himself, he reached out and grasped her head.

Nia, in the same way she had shared with Spock's grief, attempted to lessen some of Sulu's load. She didn't take away his grief, oh no, that wasn't the way Paladian empathy worked. No, all she could do was assure him he wasn't alone, and spread her calm the same way his grief was spread between them.

A few short minutes later, Sulu let go of her hand and let out a shaky breath. Some of the tension in his body had released and he seemed to unfold from himself as he stood. Sulu nodded at her, placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed briefly before he left the room.

Nia watched him go, and as the doors shut behind him she felt tears slowly fall down her cheeks.

The day already felt long.

She did some preparations for meaningless tests, not watching to try anything complex in her influenced emotional state.

It wasn't long though, before Chekov came to see her. "Sulu…" his voice choked off and he raised one fist to rub roughly at his lips.

Nia's shoulders slumped. She'd forgotten how much of a _kid_ Chekov really was. He'd held up so well with everything the _Enterprise_ had so far thrown at him, that it was almost a shock to see him in this rough state.

"Come here," she directed softly.

Chekov left ten minutes later, strides long and determined even as he furiously flicked through information on his data PADD.

Nia slumped in her seat, forehead resting on the table.

One by one, members of the bridge crew showed up and spent time with Nia, each 'session' wearing more and more on Nia. Only Uhura stayed for any length of time, something Nia was unendingly grateful for.

"I think I know why there aren't very many Paladian grief counselors," Nia confided.

Uhura frowned. "What? On Palad?"

Nia nodded. "Or on Earth. Or anywhere really."

"But then, how do you- ?" She cut herself off and nodded. "Anyone on Palad would be able to do what you're doing. Families, friends, even complete strangers."

"Technically, yes," Nia replied. "But it's pretty taboo to violate a stranger's privacy like that without getting express permission first."

Uhura nodded and watched as Nia rest her head on her hand, elbow propped on the table. "I think I'm the last anyways," she said. Reaching out on hand, she rubbed across Nia's shoulders. "When you do that, are taking on everyone's grief?"

"And sharing some of mine, though it's not nearly the same as doing this with other Paladians."

"You look exhausted," the other woman commented.

Indeed, the Paladian woman had dark yellow bags under her eyes. Most of her skin had a slight yellow tinge to it and even her hair lacked its usual life as it hung limply around her face. "I'm okay," Nia assured her.

With a sigh, Uhura gently pulled the older woman into a one armed embrace. Nia let her head rest on her shoulder, gladly accepting the comfort that was freely offered.

"I was so scared," the whisper escaped her before Nia could even think of not saying it.

Uhura's grip tightened for a moment. "So was I. I should have called."

Nia shook her head. "Wouldn't have mattered. I would have hung up as soon as I realized you weren't someone who could tell me anything."

Uhura snorted. "I can see that happening. You're a complete mess all worked up."

"Shut up," Nia moaned. "Even if you're right. That's what was so good about me and Wena. She'd freak out, and I'd keep calm 'cause someone needed to be calm. But with Spock…"

"You've got someone who is always calm," Uhura's voice tightened as she spoke.

Nia sighed. "It's probably a good thing or means something about how much I trust him emotionally, but I don't know." She lifted her head, and decided to change the subject. "Are you still mad at him?"

Rolling her eyes, the darker skinned woman gave the lighter an exasperated look. "Let's just say I'm glad things worked out between you two and not between us, for a whole different reason now."

Unable to help herself, Nia began to chuckle. "Don't be too hard on him. As confused as you all are by him, he's just as confused by you. In fact, -"

Both Uhura's communicator chimed and the doors to the lab hissed open at the same time, cutting off the rest of what Nia was going to say.

Spock stepped through the open doorway, as Uhura checked her communicator. "We're to report to the _Enterprise,_" Uhura stated, surprised.

"What? Are you going after him? The one who did this?" Nia sat up in, suddenly alert.

Spock nodded. "Correct. The _Enterprise _will be leaving promptly."

"I'm going with you," she stated.

"You are not," Spock calmly refuted.

Nia jerked, taken aback. "Why not? I'll submit a request and Kirk can authorize it."

"You will not be accompanying us," Spock stated again. "Submitting a request would be pointless."

"Why?" Nia asked again. "What reasoning do you have for keeping me here?"

As she watched the married pair, Uhura wisely kept her mouth shut.

"You would serve no purpose to this mission. There is no reason to have extraneous personnel on this mission," Spock explained to her. He turned to leave.

Frowning Nia was prepared to accept his answer with one clarification. "Which other scientists are you leaving behind?"

He didn't look back as he left.

Nia stared as the lab doors closed, eyebrows high on her face. "Alright, did that seem odd to you, too?"

Uhura gave her an incredulous look. "Honey, everything he does lately seems odd."

"Right," Nia said, nodding. "Well, good luck on your mission. I hope you catch the bastard."She winced and added "And keep an eye on my husband, just in case."

Wrapping her arms around Nia, Uhura gave her a tight hug. "Thank you and I will. You take care here, ok?"

As Nia nodded, the sound of a communicator chiming rang through the room again.

Uhura checked. "It's not mine," she said, looking up at Nia.

"Ah," Nia grabbed her communicator. "It's mine." She read the message and let out a slightly hysterical giggle. "Well, this just takes the pie."

"Cake," Uhura absentmindedly corrected. "What is it?"

"Starfleet Command has just authorized me to return to the _Enterprise_."

STSTSTST

Kirk hadn't slept. He hadn't bothered to try either. He knew Spock went home to his wife, but there was no point for him to go.

When Scotty showed him where the attacker had beamed to, a fire had been forged in him. Scotty was right in that the treaty didn't allow for them to go to Kronos, not even to hunt down an enemy.

That didn't deter Kirk.

It did surprise him when Spock never argued with him. He listened to the discussion with Admiral Marcus instead, at times a distinct frown across his face.

For this mission, Kirk wanted someone he knew at his side. He asked for Spock, and there was no hesitation from Admiral Marcus.

Of course, he started to regret that as soon as he boarded the shuttle craft with the man.

"As I am again your First Officer, it is now my duty to strongly object to our mission parameters," Spock said to him.

Kirk resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Of course it is."

"There is no Starfleet regulation that condemns a man to die without a trial, something you and Admiral Marcus are forgetting."

Tension rolled through Kirk's body, the image of Pike's vacant face filling his mind.

"Also," Spock continued. "Preemptively firing torpedoes at the Klingon homeworld goes against –"

Kirk had to interrupt him before his frustration grew beyond what he could handle. "You yourself said the area is uninhabited. There's only gonna be one casualty." He looked down at the data PADD in his hands. "And in case you weren't listening, our orders have nothing to do with Starfleet regulation."

McCoy seemed to finally catch on to what was happening, and aghast question falling out of his mouth.

Both officers ignored him.

"Regulations aside, this action is morally wrong," Spock protested.

Having had enough, Kirk snapped back "Regulation aside, pulling your ass out of a volcano was morally right. And I didn't win any points for that." He ignored McCoy's directive to calm down. "I'm not going to take ethics lessons from a robot."

Of course, Spock had to derive the most asinine conclusion from his statement, calling Kirk defensive.

Spock continued pushing his point, and Kirk was all too grateful for the distraction a blond science officer he had never seen before presented as she appeared before him.

He let her on the ship just to spite Spock, not that her credentials in advance weaponry wouldn't be useful.

It had nothing to do with the fact that the only open seat was between him and Spock.

Still, she made a great shield.

He boarded the ship and after a disastrous conversation with Scotty that ended with the shorter man resigning, Kirk entered the turbolift to the bridge.

Uhura was there. "Captain, I'm so sorry about Captain Pike."

"We all are," he replied, not interested in having a heart to heart.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine. Thank you, Lieutenant." He crossed his arms. Sighed. "Actually, Scotty just quit. And my First Officer is second-guessing me every chance he gets." He growled, low in his chest. "Sometimes I just want to rip the bangs off his head." He glanced at Uhura's tense form. "I'm sorry, that was inappropriate." He shook his head. "Maybe it's just me, I mean his – "

"It's not just you," Uhura interrupted him before she could stop herself.

He stared at her. "It's not?" When she didn't reply, he turned to fully face her. "What do you know? Are you guys fighting?"

"No," she replied curtly.

"His wife?"

"I'd rather not talk about it, sir," Uhura told him, not willing to gossip about her First Officer, even if it was to her Captain.

The blond man gapped at her. "I know they've fought before, but I still have a hard time picturing it."

The turbolift doors opened, and Captain Kirk no longer had to imagine what a marital spat involving his First Officer looked like.

"You disobeyed a direct order from-"

"_No_, I didn't!"

Nia was directly in front of Spock, neither bothering to keep their voices down.

"Your request submission shows evidence to the contrary."

Hands over her face, Nia tried to breathe out slowly and calm down. It didn't work. "I didn't submit the request. I was reassigned!"

Spock held up his data PADD. "There is no point in continuing with such falsehood when I have received a copy of your request."

"Oh no," Uhura muttered.

"I didn't send the request!" Nia finally shrieked. "Don't you dare call me a liar!" Taking a step back, she muttered "I'll be in the labs unless you have some need of me, Commander."

Kirk stepped forward. "Sargent," he said, unable to call her anything else at the moment. "Report to the labs," his tone brooked no argument.

She darted past him to the turbolift, muttering "Yes, Captain," as she went.

Kirk leveled a look at his First Officer.

Clearing her throat, the communications officer stepped forward. "For the record, I was there when she received the request for her to report to the _Enterprise_. She didn't go against you, sir."

"Lieutenant, report to your station," Kirk ordered, eyes not leaving Spock. "As for you Commander, would it not have been more professional to have such a discussion in private?"

The Vulcan tilted his head. "I don't see how that matters, Captain."

Kirk gritted his teeth. "Right. Well, I'm not the one who just called his wife a liar in front of the entire bridge crew." He sighed. "We have an important mission ahead of us, Spock. I don't need any more distractions."

"Understood," Spock replied, tone clipped.

Heading for Chekov, Kirk shook his head. He didn't have time for this.

STSTSTST

As Nia stormed through the halls, she wasn't paying enough attention to her surroundings. Her shoulder slammed into a blonde officer with an unfamiliar face.

"I am so sorry," Nia began apologized instantly, internally berating herself for getting so caught up in her head that she wasn't watching where she was going.

The woman collected her fallen data PADD and replied in clear British tones "It's alright. No harm done." She glanced up and smiled at Nia.

The Paladian held out her hand. "I'm sorry, I don't believe I've seen you on board before. Have you just been transferred?"

"Yes, that's correct. I'm Dr. Wallace," the woman replied.

Nia grinned. "Well, I'm Dr. Sargent if you aren't comfortable just calling me Nia. I'm afraid my actual married name in unpronounceable to humans."

Wallace was surprised. "I hadn't realized there were such differences between Paladian language and Standard."

"There isn't," Nia corrected. "My married name is Vulcan."

Her eyes opened wide. "Oh, you're the – "

"Paladian who married a Vulcan. First Officer Commander Spock, in fact," Nia told her, smile dimming for a short second.

"Really?" Wallace was surprised, until she realized her faux pas. "I'm sorry, not that there's anything wrong with that, I just – "

Nia actually chuckled. "Don't worry, I haven't taken any offence." She sighed. "Well, Dr. Wallace – "

"Carol, if I'm to call you Nia."

Nia nodded. "Well, Carol, I need to report to my labs. I'll be seeing you around, alright?"

The woman nodded and they parted ways.

The short interaction had been long enough for Nia to calm significantly, her pace to the labs no less urgent, but much less harried.

Once she was inside and at her usual spot in her lab, Nia settled down. She hadn't had much time to prepare for her arrival to the _Enterprise_, but she'd had just long enough to gather some work together. When Spock had told her earlier that she wouldn't be need on this trip, she'd been forced to admit he was right.

Since he clearly hadn't changed his mind, she was going to stay out of his way as much as possible and work in the peace of her own lab.

It felt good to be back, anyways.

She was on her own for several minutes before Michaels appeared in the doorway. "What are you doing here?"

"Tactful as ever, Michaels," Nia gently reprimanded. "I'm here because Command requested it of me."

"You mean the Commander?" The brunette asked.

Nia shook her head negatively. "No, I mean Starfleet Command. One of the admirals." Giving Michaels a put upon look, she told her "Commander Spock was firmly against my arrival here. Had he the choice, I would still be working in the Earth-based labs."

Crewman Michaels was picked up on the agitated undertone in her coworker's voice. "I see," she said. "Well, then what are we to be working on now – "

Both women yelped as the floor beneath their feet jerked and tossed them to the floor.

"What just happened?" the younger woman groaned as she struggled to sit up.

Nia pushed the fallen stool off of her and winced at the soreness of her hip. "I think we just dropped out of warp." Yep, she was definitely going to be bruised later.

"Dropped out of warp? But that was so rough…"

"I don't think it was intentional." Nia slowly stood along with her crewman.

Michaels looked rattled. "But we must be in Klingon territory by now… How can we be stopped? What do you think happened?"

Later, Nia would blame her frayed nerves for snapping. "I don't know, Michaels! I'm not an engineer and after my husband called me a liar in front of the captain, I doubt he'll be willing to offer me any explanation even if I ask."

Michaels blinked once, twice, and then sputtered "Commander Spock called you liar?"

* * *

A/N: So, obviously the poor, poor characters of this story are under a huge amount of stress. This chapter actually went a completely different direction than I originally planned, and it's all Spock's fault.

Seriously. It is.

Thank you so much to those who are still reading and reviewing. You all are awesome and this includes: **angel897, Teddy bear 007, Thanlia's Royal King, **and **Amodestpoet**.

Let me know what you all think!

-Spirit


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